Next Man Utd Manager: Zidane and Nagelsmann frontrunners if Ten Hag sacked

• 2/13.00 Ten Hag is next EPL boss to leave

• 6/42.50 he's gone by Christmas

• 4/15.00 Zidane favourite for Old Trafford hotseat

The Betfair Sportsbook odds on Erik ten Hag becoming the next Premier League manager to leave his job were slashed to 2/13.00 from 9/110.00 after the Red Devils were dumped out of the Carabao Cup by Newcastle.

United were shocking in their second 3-0 defeat at Old Trafford in three days and the result piled more pressure on their manager.

Exiting the competition they won last season added to the growing sense that United have gone backwards in 2023/24.

The beleagured Dutchman insisted afterwards that he could turn the situation around but there has been scant evidence of that recently.

Worst start for 60 years sees Ten Hag under fire

In United's worst start to a season since 1962/63, they have lost eight of 15 matches in all competitions, with five of those defeats at home.

New signings, such as Mason Mount and Andre Onana, are struggling and players who performed well last year - Marcus Rashford and Casemiro among them - look jaded.

Meanwhile, Jadon Sancho remains in internal exile, training alone, but 13/102.30 to stay at United beyond the next transfer window. Perhaps he will outstay his manager.

The Theatre of Dreams is becoming the scene of United fans' recurring nightmares as Ten Hag's reign falls apart like all of those who have come before him in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.

November and December have been treacherous months for United managers in recent years with Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer both sacked then. Betfair have been talking up the possibility of Ten Hag leaving before Christmas and make it 6/42.50.

They go to Fulham on Saturday in the Premier League's 12:30 kick-off and you will be able to read an in-depth betting preview from Friday morning. Few would rush to back United on current form.

They are eighth in the league after 10 games, 7/24.50 on the Sportsbook to finish in the top four and 4/71.57 to end up outside the top six.

Who will succeed Ten Hag? Zidane fav at 4/1

When United sacked Solskjaer two years ago it took them six months to appoint a successor. In the interim there was the disastrous period under Ralf Rangnick.

The club may be wary of repeating that experience and writing off this season too hastily. The impending 25% takeover, which could see Jim Ratcliffe in charge of the club's football operations, could also mean imminent change is unlikely.

Then again, if the Ratcliffe deal does go through he may prefer to appoint his own manager and dismiss Ten Hag.

Zinedine Zidane is the current favourite at 4/15.00. The three-time Champions League winner is out of work after leaving Real Madrid in 2021. He has been linked with a return to management several times but so far declined to take up a role.

Julian Nagelsmann 5/16.00 comes next in the betting. He left Bayern Munich in March and is currently in charge of Germany. He may be available after next summer's Euro 2024.

After that, it's Graham Potter at 15/28.50, but it is difficult to see Potter thriving at Old Trafford after his miserable spell at Chelsea.

Potter's Brighton replacement Roberto De Zerbi 15/28.50 would be a candidate and, if Middlesbrough keep playing well under Michael Carrick 12/113.00, the ex-United player and coach could also feature on the longlist.

There is no obvious successor to Ten Hag and that is another reason why he is likely to get more time to reverse United's fortunes. But the club's patience will not be infinite and Ten Hag is approaching the period in a United manager's tenure when each defeat could be his last.

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